Juan de Acuna

Juan de Acuna y Bejarano, 2nd Marquis of Casa Fuerte (1658-17 March 1734) was the Viceroy of New Spain from 1722 to 1734.

Biography
Acuna was a criollo, a Spaniard born in the New World; in Acuna's case, Lima in Peru. He joined the military at a young age and served as the Governor of Messina in Spanish Naples briefly, and was made a Knight of Santiago.

On 15 October 1722, Acuna was promoted to become the Viceroy of New Spain and found an empty treasury and large public debt. He dispatched General Juan Flores de San Pedro to pacify Nayar, but his attempt to drive the British from the Yucatan Peninsula and British Honduras (present-day Belize) failed.

Acuna was loved by the people because he was an American, and also because he appointed officials due to merit and not due to influence. He was opposed to the Spanish Inquisition and limited its power in the New World. He built many cathedrals across Mexico, and in 1727 was given another term as Governor due to his honesty and good work. Acuna died while governor in 1734.